Life and all in Redding California
The 38th Annual Special Needs Kids Christmas Party was held at the Elks Lodge again this year. Organized by the Shasta Association of REALTORS Social Committee. The event was a great success, as always. Here’s a short video offering a taste of what was missed if you weren’t there for this heartwarming event. Thanks to all the participants and the vendors who helped!
Special Needs Kids Christmas Party 2010 Redding CA from Skip Murphy on Vimeo.
>Wine, cheese and fruit were served to the patrons of the Art on the Wild Side sale and auction held at Win River last Saturday to benefit the Shasta Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation center.
We saw some really inspirational art and crafts, sampled some excellent vintages, and enjoyed the always terrific hospitality of Win River. Some lovely art pieces went for bargain prices too, although we hope the center raised an appropriate amount for their good cause. Ray John did the auctioning.
There were several critters on hand to add to the scene. Their was also live music provided by Craig Padilla, to the accompaniment of slides of the various animals and projects that have been helped.
(Bottom image) This service was another of the auctioned items. Somebody got a good deal on these and many more. There was also a silent auction. A terrific time was had by all. Hopefully it will help this fine cause. See you all again next year!
Inexpensive fun where racers get their street race on in a safe-to-speed, pedal-to-the-metal blowout! Click here for the Redding Dragstrip.
The last regularly scheduled Street Legal race of the year tonight at 6 pm out at the Redding Dragstrip. Trophies awarded to winners and runner-ups for: Best of General Motors, Best of Ford Motors, Best of Mopars, Best of Nostalgia Cars, Best of Trucks, Best of Motorcycles, Best of the Imports. ALL-OUT RACING VEHICLES PERMITTED! Be there for the biggest Street Legal Event of the year!
Redding Dragstrip. The longest continuously operating NHRA sanctioned racing facility in the known universe!
Come to a Wild Art Event – view and buy art work by many artists and a wide variety (pottery, oil paintings, photography, wood working etc.) and there will be wine tasting. Admission is $10 and includes an etched wine glass. Silent auction and live auction.” Saturday November 6, Noon to 6 pm at the WinRiver Event Center.
My friend and longtime musical collaborator Craig Padilla will be appearing there in a rare solo performance. He has some new material you haven’t heard (but I have) and it promises to be a terrific afternoon of music not often heard around here lately. I’ll be there. Then it’s on to ShopHop for a full evening of local shopping. It’s Really Redding.
Perhaps better described as inexpensive thrills, tonight the Redding Dragstrip features Clash of the Imports and Musclecar Mania. Just $5 to get in, and $10 to race your street legal ride. The thrills start at 6 pm, so come on down! Where it’s safe and legal to speed…
$100 for the fastest run of a Musclecar, and $100 for fastest Import run. Should be a lovely Fall evening at the longest continuously operating dragstrip in the known universe.
Where else can you get so much entertainment with so little cash? It’s ReallyRedding.
Some of Erin’s friends put together a small fashion show at Bangz, the same evening as the Beer and Wine Festival. So we walked over to the venue for a few quick photos and food.
Threatening skies overhead were only bluffing at Redding’s 14th annual Beer and Wine Festival held at the Market Street Promenade. Good thing the clouds were in actually, as the temperature was actually just right for the people and food. Here’s a few shots
The lovely Karry receives a pour of Indian Peak Cab from Z at the Uncorked booth. In the dark blue shirt beyond is Kirk Taylor from GM Specialties on Hartnell. Kirk is a terrific Cadillac mechanic, in case you need one. Always fun to see our local friends and neighbors.
A Market Street Chef seasons a steak. It’s too much to write about all the great food, but some standouts for me were the samples at this booth from Market Street Steak House, the little clams from the Woodside Grill at Gaia, the Garlic Cilantro Quinoa from Grilla Bites, and the scrumptious Lentil Salad from Trader Joe’s. I asked if you could buy that salad at TJ’s and was told “you have to make it.” Sounds like a plan.
Along with all the lovely wine, there was something like 27 different breweries represented. Again, some pours that stood out for me was Hop Stoopid from Lagunitas, Mirror Pond from Deschutes, Drifter Pale Ale, and Tumbler from Sierra Nevada. Nice to have all the variations. It occurs to me that some restaurants ought to offer flights of beer, like they do with wine, so you can sample lots of different brews instead of single big pints. Not that big pints are bad…
A good crowd kept circulating. A DJ kept things hopping.
Here are some familiar Reddingites. I love the background, too.
Here are Amber and Tracy, a couple of colleagues of mine. A good time was had by all. Our thanks go to Viva Downtown and all the vendors. I can’t believe we only do this once a year!
Erin took a few shots of the event on Saturday at the Convention Center. It looks like there were a lot of vendors. Between her shots and the image at the RS, I saw no musicians as subjects, so we’ll assume the food was the center of attention. Looks tasty.
We received the email invitation to Rivers Restaurant for their 4th of July Dinner:
“Your 7-Course evening will begin with appetizers, and culminate with dessert and the largest fireworks display in Northern California.” Wow. We’ve been trying to shed a few pounds, but this seems worth a rare splurge. The evening was to run from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm. That sounded long, but I knew my dinner companion, the lovely Karry would approve. We reserved a table on the patio.
When we arrived at the lobby, we were greeted by name, and offered a flute of champagne to take with us into the Lounge. For the Appetizer Course, we were served from trays of stuffed bite-sized portobello mushrooms, some kind of Ahi tiny taco looking things whose name I can’t remember, and escargot baked in filo. My companion’s favorite were the crab cakes with lemon aoli. Champagne refills. I realize the key to enjoyment tonight was going to be pacing yourself. Not easy!
At some point, the wait staff found us and showed us to our table. I had some concern about being seated in a western facing patio on a July day. But the staff adjusted the huge motorized shades continuously, and the high misters performed well. We are longtime Reddingites, so a mere 100 degree day is only warm for us, not a “hot day” by our standards. Anyway, the patio was quite pleasantly temperate. And the city views from the patio are incomparable. We spotted one of the famous local bald eagles from the Turtle Bay webcam as it flew by. Time for the second course:
The Soup Course consisted of a “Vichyssoise of potato and leek, with crispy prosciutto.” A thin breadstick completes the scene. This is a chilled soup, but unlike some gazpachos and melon concoctions we’ve tried where you say to one another “that’s, uh, interesting,” this soup really left you wanting more. On to the Salad Course.
“Seared day-boat scallop nestled atop arugula greens, lightly dressed with a lemon thyme vinaigrette, sided by fresh fig compote and crisp Brioche.” The scallops were as mouthwatering as they look. The arugula was actually nestled in what my companion believes was an edible bowl made by frying parmigiano-reggiano into the shape. Nice touch. Soon, it’s time for the Intermezzo Course
The waning sunlight dances on “Strawberry Champagne Mint Ice.” I noticed that the chef had to freeze the strawberry slice first, so that it would match the temperature of the ice. Just right.
Intermezzo was occasion to chat with neighboring tables, and for comparing comments. Good people surround us. I noticed that several had decided to try the wine pairing with the courses, and I enjoyed hearing the descriptions. I’m a beer guy, and tried several of their taps. My favorite was our semi-local Sierra Nevada Summer Fest. It seems like you can’t go wrong with whatever Sierra Nevada brews. Soon enough, it’s time for the Entrée Course.
“Surf and Turf Mixed Grill – Filet Mignon with chanterelle demi, Lamb Chop with Dijonaise, and Lobster tail with a sherry reduction.” I don’t write about food all that often. As a rule, I figure you should avoid cliché, and try to convey some description that offers a reader some verbal image of the experience. Unfortunately, all the words I’m thinking of for this plate veer dangerously close to sexuality. Let it suffice that this course tasted even better than it looked, and the main elements displayed rest on flavored mashed potatoes bordered by perfectly cooked asparagus. Pushing back after a bit, I pop in the main gallery for a look.
We went up to Mt Shasta again this year for Independence Day. We did the fun walk.
The t-shirt color was red this year. We are a sea of red.
The weather was excellent, as usual.
It’s a serious run for some, and people come from around the country. Check results here.
Along the way, we are treated to some tangy grazing.
Erin gets a celebrity shot with Dylan Darling of the Record Searchlight.
Happy Independence Day from our family to yours.
It’s not Really Redding, but we saw many Redding folks in town today. It was Really Nice.